Troy Trojans head football coach Larry Blakeney says when he talks to fans, the number one question they ask is about when the Trojans will play the Auburn Tigers or the Alabama Crimson Tide.

"Everybody in our league has played Auburn and Alabama," Blakeney says, adding that his team has to go out of state and play SEC teams like Georgia and South Carolina.

Blakeney's frustration about the Tide and Tigers' refusals to schedule their in-state neighbor recently boiled over when Blakeney told a Savannah, Georgia newspaper that the administrators over the two teams are "cowards" and "chicken".

In Montgomery Wednesday, WSFA 12 News asked Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs about the absence of play with Troy.

"Larry's a great guy," Jacobs says of the man he used to share an office with, "...when I was the tight end coach, he was the wide receivers coach [at Auburn]."

While Jacobs praises Blakeney's job at Troy, he says the reason the two teams haven't played boils down to schedules. "We're full through 2015," Jacobs said.

"It doesn't make any sense," Blakeney says. "It think would be a great thing for college football in this state. It would be a great thing for high school football in this state."

Asked if playing Troy is just not in the best interests of Auburn, Jacobs says the door is never closed. "We're always open to what we should and shouldn't do..." Jacobs explained.

Blakeney puts it this way. "Everybody thinks if Auburn or Alabama play Troy, they will be helping Troy. And, you know, I don't see it." Blakeney says to the two teams to, "...go ahead and send 'em a million and a half dollars out of state for whomever to come in and play."

Bottom line for Jacobs is finding what is best for Auburn's student-athletes.

Smiling, Blakeney says a game between the in-state SEC teams may happen, and he may watch it on TV if he's still alive.